Looking Ahead to Harvest: the Arbequina Varietal

Here we are! Another fall season is upon us and our olive harvest is only weeks away. At the beginning of the season, our ranchers pick the early-harvest olives, still green as opposed to later in the season when we see more mature purple fruit. These young olives are herbaceous and bold, lending their flavor to oils like our single varietal Reserve Collection Arbequina.

You might be wondering, what is a varietal? Varietal refers to the type or cultivar of olive. Though most of us are most familiar with the Kalamata and Mission olives grown for brining and eating, 90% of olives crops across the globe are actually grown for oil production. At California Olive Ranch, we grow three types of olives: Arbequina, Arbosana, and Koroneiki.

The Spanish varietal Arbequina (pronounced AR-BEH-KEY-NUH) has one of the highest oil concentrations of any olive and accounts for our largest crop. Plump and round, Arbequina olives take their name from the village Arbeca in the Catalonia region. The trees are generally small and drought resistant, and the Arbequina olive oil has a medium aroma level. The taste is a bit fruitier with more floral notes than other varietals. Similarly, Arbequina has a medium level of bitterness and a medium-intense pungency, or pepperiness, both positive attributes of extra virgin taste olive oil.

We are proudly a Chico, CA based company. In an effort to offer long-term support to those in our community who have been affected by the Camp Fire, we've set up a California Olive Ranch Camp Fire Relief Fund, supported through Golden Valley Bank Community Foundation. All donated money will go directly to rebuilding and supporting our surrounding community.

If you'd like to support this effort, follow the link below and select "California Olive Ranch," to make a paypal or credit card donation.

We are deeply grateful for all of the firefighters working tirelessly to contain the fires and for the support shown from folks around the world.